Vol. III Chapter XI: The Right Thing to Do

The rain fell in cold streams, pattering against the wet pavement of Valdrath. 

Behind him, the academy still loomed faintly in the distance.

Lucius kept walking, but each step felt heavier than the last. His fingers clutched the book tightly, as if it might slip from his grasp at any moment.

You did it, he told himself. That’s all that matters.

But something churned in his chest, something bitter, something the rain couldn’t wash away.

Glizzy’s face. Frightened, confused, left behind.

It burned itself into his memory, again and again, with every step he took away.

What would Melissa say if she knew what I’d done?

He already knew the answer.

A low thunder rolled across the sky as he closed his eyes and came to a stop.

Then he heard her voice. Not loud, not real, but as clear as if she were standing right beside him.

You idiot.

You think you’re doing this for me? Fine. But not like this. Not by sacrificing someone who can’t save herself. You can still save me, Lucius. But first, you save her. So turn around. Now.

He saw her in his mind’s eye, the way she used to stand. Arms folded, hooves scraping the floor, amber eyes sharp as blades. Her tail twitching.

She wouldn’t hug me. Wouldn’t praise me. She’d slap me.

And she’d be right.

Lucius drew a deep breath and opened his eyes. For a moment, nothing moved.

Then, finally, he turned around.

He didn’t run, but his pace quickened with every step.

The cobblestones shimmered under the lamplight, rainwater flowing in little rivulets toward the heart of the stone bridge that led back to the academy.

He didn’t know what he would say, or even what he could do. Only that he had to go back.

And then, at the highest point of the bridge, he saw two silhouettes beneath the flickering glow of an old lantern.

One standing still, calm in posture. The other smaller, arms crossed, sitting on the bridge railing.

Tairaku and Meiruna.

Lucius blinked against the rain as he stepped closer.

“I told you he’d come back,” Tairaku said quietly, not looking at him.

“Tch. Lucky for him,” Meiruna muttered with her arms crossed. “If you hadn’t been right, I would’ve torn him a new one.”

She hopped down and stormed over, grabbing Lucius by the collar.

“How dare you just leave her like that?!”

Lucius didn’t resist. His gaze drifted from Tairaku’s gentle smile to Meiruna’s furious expression.

“How… how do you even know about that?” he asked quietly.

Meiruna let go and stepped back, pointing a finger at him.

“You think we didn’t notice your weird behavior lately? Or how you snuck out last night?”

“Tairaku insisted on trusting you,” she added after a moment, a bit softer. “But if we’d known you dragged Glizzy into it...”

“...we would’ve stepped in sooner,” Tairaku finished.

Lucius said nothing at first, but looked between them, guilt etched on his face.

“I… I think I owe you an explanation.”

Tairaku nodded slowly.

“Then let’s go to our room. I’m not hearing any confessions on this bridge.”

“And I don’t want any excuses!” Meiruna snapped, but she was already turning and stomping ahead.

Lucius and Tairaku followed her, back toward the academy.

The room was still dark when they entered. Only the pale morning light slipped through the curtains.

Lucius stood silently for a moment, the book hidden beneath his cloak. Only once the door was locked did he pull it out and place it on the table.

The siblings leaned in, curious.

“This is the reason I came here.”

They examined the book closely, exchanging looks.

“You came all this way just to steal a spellbook?” Meiruna asked, sarcastic. “What are you, some kind of master thief?”

Lucius sighed.

“Better if I start from the beginning. My real name is Lucius and the truth is... I’m from another world.”

Then he told them everything.

About his old life. Melissa and Dionysos. The trials. The escape. Their arrival in this world, Marcthain. Their mission in Yashar. Hecate. The book.

He didn’t speak loudly or with drama, just calmly, even distantly, like someone forcing himself to recount facts rather than relive memories.

Still, at times he struggled to stay composed, especially when talking about Yashar.

His story filled the room with a heavy silence, so much so that even the rain outside seemed to quiet.

When he finished, the silence lingered.

Meiruna rubbed the back of her neck, looking pointedly to the side and muttering,

“If you made all that up just to impress us, you’re officially nuts.”

She gave him a sideways glance, then added in a softer voice,

“But… if it’s true, damn. You’ve been through a lot.”

Tairaku gave a faint smile, though his eyes remained serious.

“And despite all of that, you chose to come back. That’s not something everyone would do.”

Lucius looked down.

“It doesn’t feel like I had a choice.”

“That,” Tairaku said, “Is what makes it the right one.”

Meiruna crossed her arms.

“Alright. So you had your reasons. And you were honest with us. Still, if you ever pull something like that again…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, narrowing her eyes in warning.

Lucius raised his hands in mock surrender.

“I promise.”

A moment passed, then Meiruna straightened up.

“Well. What’s the plan, world-hopper?”

Lucius blinked at her, surprised.

“Our… plan? Wait, you’re saying you want to help me? After everything?”

Tairaku stepped beside her, his gaze steady.

“Of course. We’re friends, aren’t we? And we owe it to Glizzy as much as you do.”

Lucius’s eyes gleamed. He nodded slowly, a smile breaking through.

“Yeah. Alright. Let’s go get her back.”

And for the first time in a long while, Lucius felt something he had nearly forgotten:

He wasn’t alone anymore.

A few hours later, the refectory was unusually empty that morning. Only the occasional clatter of cutlery echoed off the stone walls.

Lucius poked at his breakfast without actually eating, his gaze empty.

Meiruna sat across from him, arms crossed, one foot tapping, her face a mixture of frustration and growing impatience.

“Where is he…” she muttered irritably.

At that moment, a slender figure appeared at their table, Tairaku. His expression was serious; the usual calm on his face had vanished.

“Well?” Lucius asked immediately, sitting up straighter. “Did you find anything out?”

Tairaku nodded slowly, but nothing about him suggested good news.

“It’s just as I suspected. Her expulsion has already been ordered.”

He hesitated before continuing.

“But that’s not the worst part.” His voice dropped. “Since the book wasn’t found on her and the second perpetrator is still at large…” His eyes flicked briefly toward Lucius. “…the official charge is now espionage.”

He paused, then delivered the verdict.

“And in wartime, that carries the death penalty.”

Meiruna shot to her feet, her chair clattering loudly to the ground behind her.

“What?! We’re talking about Glizzy! She couldn’t spy on herself if she tried!”

A few heads turned in their direction. A young orc at the next table eyed Meiruna suspiciously.

“Shh, keep it down,” Tairaku hissed, pulling her back to the table.

“She’s being taken today. Tiberun’s military is handling the case. They’re transferring her to the great prison in Valdrath.”

He glanced over his shoulder cautiously, then lowered his voice again.

“Until then, she’s being held in the North Wing. All the way down, in the basement level. Not an official cell, but locked. Guarded.”

For a moment, there was silence. The dull drumming of rain against the tall windows suddenly seemed louder than before.

Lucius spoke, his voice quiet, almost hollow: “I’m getting her out. No matter what it takes.”

Tairaku leaned in closer, his gaze steady.

“Hey. No solo missions. That’s exactly how you got into this mess. We do this. Together.”

Meiruna nodded sharply. Her expression was still furious, but beneath the anger was hope.

Lucius took a long breath, then gave a small nod.

“All right… sounds like you already have a plan.”